To help her dad (and herself) cope with his declining health and eventual death, a woman stages fake accidents that kill her father. They're all fake, of course. They play to laughs, and inspire the title of the film, but they're really only a small aspect of the film on the whole. The story mostly focuses on their relationship and shows how special Dick Johnson is as a father, a grandfather, and a human being. He is lovable, hilarious, and perpetually happy. Everyone loves this man. You'll love him too. And you'll love this movie. It's an incredibly nuanced and intelligent examination of death, but it wisely disguises itself as a comedy so viewers can watch without openly weeping the entire time. In the end, you'll still cry, but you'll smile too.
31 Reviews
It's good but I know I'm missing something...
Jeremy_Urquhart4 October 2020
It's rare that a movie with so much good stuff in it is also quite frustrating.
At the risk of going on too long: the main problem for me was the tone. The darkly comedic fantasy sequences never quite meshed with the far more effective (and more frequent) parts of the film that nakedly deal with the inevitability of death, and the immense struggles of aging. There was one fantasy sequence which was surprising moving in a really surreal way, until it clunkily featured an intentionally jarring gag, and I was pulled right out of feeling something profound.
I just... wasn't on this movie's level- I could tell I really liked it, and almost felt like I could love it, but it never sat 100% right with me. The whole premise of killing him in make believe ways never seemed to gel with the genuine emotions of the more down to earth stuff, and it left me a bit confused. There was surely an intent and a purpose, but it's one I can't grasp.
I know there's something here I'm missing, and the stuff I got I know I really liked, so I can still say it's a good movie for sure. But it's almost like I'm missing a part of my brain that would enable me to fully "get" this movie, y'know? Almost as confusing for me as I'm Thinking of Ending Things was 😅
At the risk of going on too long: the main problem for me was the tone. The darkly comedic fantasy sequences never quite meshed with the far more effective (and more frequent) parts of the film that nakedly deal with the inevitability of death, and the immense struggles of aging. There was one fantasy sequence which was surprising moving in a really surreal way, until it clunkily featured an intentionally jarring gag, and I was pulled right out of feeling something profound.
I just... wasn't on this movie's level- I could tell I really liked it, and almost felt like I could love it, but it never sat 100% right with me. The whole premise of killing him in make believe ways never seemed to gel with the genuine emotions of the more down to earth stuff, and it left me a bit confused. There was surely an intent and a purpose, but it's one I can't grasp.
I know there's something here I'm missing, and the stuff I got I know I really liked, so I can still say it's a good movie for sure. But it's almost like I'm missing a part of my brain that would enable me to fully "get" this movie, y'know? Almost as confusing for me as I'm Thinking of Ending Things was 😅
Bittersweet brilliance
theshanecarr28 January 2021
In what I think of as one of the greatest TV series of all time, The Leftovers, the show asks how we cope in the face of death, how the living keep going when there are no answers.
In the docu-drama-hagiography-family-portrait Dick Johnson Is Dead, Kirsten Johnson is asking herself those same questions in the knowledge that her 86 year old father, Dick, has Alzheimer's. Having watched her mother's slow decline and disappearance due to the same disease, she knows the terrible fate that is coming, and she decides to record these final years with her dad as he is, as she wants to remember him.
The answers Dick Johnson is Dead comes up with are a far cry from the grieving tone struck by The Leftovers. If you read the above and thought "Well that's going to be depressing"; you could not be more wrong. It is, of course, tinged with the anticipation of grief, but what shines through clearer than anything is the love Kirsten and Dick have for each other, and his unflappable, can-do spirit. This film is a celebration of the time that they have together, even though it may be ending.
Laced throughout footage of Dick selling up his house, packing up his office, and moving in with his daughter are strange fantasy sequences in which Kirsten stages her fathers death in a variety of ways. Some are outrageous, some are sad, but we are never asked to believe in them - throughout it is clear they are manufactured, and their purpose is to help Kirsten, and the audience, to imagine what it will be like when Dick finally does succumb to the inevitable. There are also fantasy sequences in which Dick imagines what it might be like when he arrives in heaven, with his wife, Freud, and Bruce Lee all waiting for him.
It's a bizarre choice that pays off handsomely. Death is always with us but we rarely look straight at it. Kirsten and Dick make a courageous decision acknowledge it, talk about it, visualise it. It suggests, despite our fears, that we can handle the worst life will throw at us. Principally though, this is a picture of a father and a daughter, of their quirky ways, and of the bonds that bind them.
The Leftovers ultimately suggested we are terribly alone in the universe, and we must fight hard to grab what life and love we can when we have the chance. Dick Johnson is Dead suggests that love is here with us right now, and we have only to open our eyes to see (and maybe make a home movie of) every precious second.
The answers Dick Johnson is Dead comes up with are a far cry from the grieving tone struck by The Leftovers. If you read the above and thought "Well that's going to be depressing"; you could not be more wrong. It is, of course, tinged with the anticipation of grief, but what shines through clearer than anything is the love Kirsten and Dick have for each other, and his unflappable, can-do spirit. This film is a celebration of the time that they have together, even though it may be ending.
Laced throughout footage of Dick selling up his house, packing up his office, and moving in with his daughter are strange fantasy sequences in which Kirsten stages her fathers death in a variety of ways. Some are outrageous, some are sad, but we are never asked to believe in them - throughout it is clear they are manufactured, and their purpose is to help Kirsten, and the audience, to imagine what it will be like when Dick finally does succumb to the inevitable. There are also fantasy sequences in which Dick imagines what it might be like when he arrives in heaven, with his wife, Freud, and Bruce Lee all waiting for him.
It's a bizarre choice that pays off handsomely. Death is always with us but we rarely look straight at it. Kirsten and Dick make a courageous decision acknowledge it, talk about it, visualise it. It suggests, despite our fears, that we can handle the worst life will throw at us. Principally though, this is a picture of a father and a daughter, of their quirky ways, and of the bonds that bind them.
The Leftovers ultimately suggested we are terribly alone in the universe, and we must fight hard to grab what life and love we can when we have the chance. Dick Johnson is Dead suggests that love is here with us right now, and we have only to open our eyes to see (and maybe make a home movie of) every precious second.
A most unusual doc by a daughter who depicts her dad's death using him while alive. One of the best of the year and upbeat.
JohnDeSando6 October 2020
Dying is about the deadliest topic in any medium partly because it reminds us of our last end, or as Alexander Pope said, "Send not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee." An accomplished documentarian, Kirsten Johnson, takes that topic and makes it a sweet future as she orchestrates scenarios for her father's death with him starring while alive in Dick Johnson is Dead.
It is as if she believes that playing with a bit of gallows humor might at least stave off the Alzheimer's disease for her dad that her mother succumbed to a few years ago. The magic part of this unusual documentary is the love of father and daughter evident in every light-hearted scene. Be he knocked dead by a construction beam or actually experience a heart attack, she and he are collaborating on this doc as professionals (he is a psychiatrist) who know enough about life to make death an acceptable adjunct to a life that was worth living.
Dick Johnson is not much as an actor depicting his own death, but he is a father who has loved his child, his late wife, and his friends, of which he has a multitude. His love shines through in each frame making this the most realistic fictionalized death on film this year (and most likely the only one).
My other favorite doc this year is David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet, which also defeats the death of earth through our own collaboration with Nature. In both films, life is affirmed in the face of daunting realities such as our responsibility for choking the atmosphere or just living till we die.
Kirstin's loving handling of a potentially crippling topic is a tribute to her as an accomplished filmmaker who can create in the face of heavy emotional weight. It is even more a tribute to her as a daughter who loves her father unconditionally and forever-a state she uses to keep her dad in her mind forever.
"Because I could not stop for death-He kindly stopped for me." Emily Dickinson
Thanks to my daughter, Thea, who tipped me off to this exceptional doc-we share several sympathies with the film.
It is as if she believes that playing with a bit of gallows humor might at least stave off the Alzheimer's disease for her dad that her mother succumbed to a few years ago. The magic part of this unusual documentary is the love of father and daughter evident in every light-hearted scene. Be he knocked dead by a construction beam or actually experience a heart attack, she and he are collaborating on this doc as professionals (he is a psychiatrist) who know enough about life to make death an acceptable adjunct to a life that was worth living.
Dick Johnson is not much as an actor depicting his own death, but he is a father who has loved his child, his late wife, and his friends, of which he has a multitude. His love shines through in each frame making this the most realistic fictionalized death on film this year (and most likely the only one).
My other favorite doc this year is David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet, which also defeats the death of earth through our own collaboration with Nature. In both films, life is affirmed in the face of daunting realities such as our responsibility for choking the atmosphere or just living till we die.
Kirstin's loving handling of a potentially crippling topic is a tribute to her as an accomplished filmmaker who can create in the face of heavy emotional weight. It is even more a tribute to her as a daughter who loves her father unconditionally and forever-a state she uses to keep her dad in her mind forever.
"Because I could not stop for death-He kindly stopped for me." Emily Dickinson
Thanks to my daughter, Thea, who tipped me off to this exceptional doc-we share several sympathies with the film.
Thank you!
billsalas4 October 2020
death march
ferguson-66 January 2021
Greetings again from the darkness. Hal Ashby's 1971 cult classic HAROLD AND MAUDE takes a comical look at death, and in the process shows us the importance of living, and the jolt delivered by dying. Documentarian Kirsten Johnson (CAMERAPERSON, 2016) makes this a more personal project by involving her dad in a series of staged deaths for her film. Initially the purpose was to help him begin to deal with an end that could be coming soon, but it evolved into something altogether different.
Dick Johnson is an elderly psychiatrist. He's a charming and lively man, boasting a nice sense of humor and a twinkle in his eye. His daughter Kristen is "a camera person", and suggests to him that they make a film about him dying. He's on board. Kristen then stages various "deaths" for her father. These scenes include getting crushed by a falling air-conditioner, getting hit by a car, taking a horrific fall down stairs, and a construction site mishap. The more we get to know Dick, the more we like him. We learn it's been 30 years since he had a heart attack, and 7 years since his wife died. She suffered from Alzheimer's for years before she passed. We learn he's a Seventh Day Adventist, and loves chocolate fudge cake. My how he loves chocolate cake.
Initially gung-ho for his daughter's idea, and fully supportive of the situations she puts him in for her art, Dick begins to show signs of forgetfulness and confusion. At times we have our doubts that he fully comprehends what's happening - not just in the film, but in everyday life. The comical elements shift to wistfulness, as we are present when Dick has to shut down his practice, sell his car, and ultimately box up his belongings and move out of his beloved home. Kristen moves him to her one bedroom New York City apartment, which is right next door to that of the two fathers of her children.
In addition to the staged deaths, we also meet a stuntman who gets involved, and we are on set for the filming of Dick's "Heaven" which includes chocolate and popcorn, and his "Last Supper" featuring, among others, Bruce Lee, Frieda Kahlo, Farrah Fawcett, and Frederick Douglass. There is also a family trip to a beach in Lisbon, and a reunion with Dick's college girlfriend in California. The strangest bit is the staged funeral, replete with Dick in a coffin, and friends offering tributes. We also celebrate Dick's 86th birthday, and see many family pictures and home videos.
Leonardo da Vinci is quoted: "As a well spent day brings happy sleep, so life well used brings happy death."
Watching Dick's spirit fade along with his memory is anything but happy. His daughter Kristen tries to remain sensitive to his changing state, but the feeling we are left with is anything but happiness towards death. Her film is likely structured much differently than she originally intended, but has so much value for discussion with loved ones and a reminder of just how precious life is for those who appreciate it. Now showing on Netflix
Dick Johnson is an elderly psychiatrist. He's a charming and lively man, boasting a nice sense of humor and a twinkle in his eye. His daughter Kristen is "a camera person", and suggests to him that they make a film about him dying. He's on board. Kristen then stages various "deaths" for her father. These scenes include getting crushed by a falling air-conditioner, getting hit by a car, taking a horrific fall down stairs, and a construction site mishap. The more we get to know Dick, the more we like him. We learn it's been 30 years since he had a heart attack, and 7 years since his wife died. She suffered from Alzheimer's for years before she passed. We learn he's a Seventh Day Adventist, and loves chocolate fudge cake. My how he loves chocolate cake.
Initially gung-ho for his daughter's idea, and fully supportive of the situations she puts him in for her art, Dick begins to show signs of forgetfulness and confusion. At times we have our doubts that he fully comprehends what's happening - not just in the film, but in everyday life. The comical elements shift to wistfulness, as we are present when Dick has to shut down his practice, sell his car, and ultimately box up his belongings and move out of his beloved home. Kristen moves him to her one bedroom New York City apartment, which is right next door to that of the two fathers of her children.
In addition to the staged deaths, we also meet a stuntman who gets involved, and we are on set for the filming of Dick's "Heaven" which includes chocolate and popcorn, and his "Last Supper" featuring, among others, Bruce Lee, Frieda Kahlo, Farrah Fawcett, and Frederick Douglass. There is also a family trip to a beach in Lisbon, and a reunion with Dick's college girlfriend in California. The strangest bit is the staged funeral, replete with Dick in a coffin, and friends offering tributes. We also celebrate Dick's 86th birthday, and see many family pictures and home videos.
Leonardo da Vinci is quoted: "As a well spent day brings happy sleep, so life well used brings happy death."
Watching Dick's spirit fade along with his memory is anything but happy. His daughter Kristen tries to remain sensitive to his changing state, but the feeling we are left with is anything but happiness towards death. Her film is likely structured much differently than she originally intended, but has so much value for discussion with loved ones and a reminder of just how precious life is for those who appreciate it. Now showing on Netflix
dour but fun
jonnathanchavezz7 March 2021
Highly original, heart-warming
TheReelMovieMaven22 April 2021
I rated this an 8 because, while it's not the world's best documentary, it is completely original, and thought-provoking despite its seeming simplicity. You'll fall in love with Dick Johnson as soon as you meet him, with his childlike, wide-open smile and merry eyes. That love only deepens throughout this funny and awe-inspiring film (for me, especially in the sneak-peeks into the filmmaking process, including the practice of various stuntmen hired to simulate Dick's deaths). The use of color is also highly entertaining, and the voice-over narration by the filmmaker (Dick's daughter) is concise and intelligent without being condescending to the viewer or mawkish about her dread of her father's decline and eventual demise. This film asks viewers how we'll all cope with the passing of a beloved parent, and prepare for our own unknown end.
Deadpan
Cineanalyst11 December 2020
A movie about a retired psychiatrist named Richard Johnson who pretends to be a stiff, and there's not one dick joke. Freud is rolling over in his grave.
As made by his daughter, Kirsten Johnson, "Dick Johnson is Dead" is an amusing picture for a documentary about an old widower with worsening dementia moving into a one-bedroom New York apartment with his daughter who films different ways of killing him. The expounding on dying--you know, that everybody's doing it--isn't very profound. The brief overview of the Johnson family's Seventh-day Adventism even less so. The loss of memory is a bit more interesting as it relates to documentary filmmaking, and Kirsten's late mother and Dick's late wife's photography. At one point, Kirsten laments that the only film she made of her mother was when she was well into being affected by Alzheimer's Disease. Although it has been far from always the case, there is a general sense that photographs and motion pictures may outlive the people in them and the memories thereof. Appropriately, then, the documentary is made in the reflexive mode, exposing the filmmaking process, including the staging of Dick's death scenes, and including the filmmaker as a heard and seen presence in the picture.
Apt as much of that is, what really sells "Dick Johnson is Dead" is the charm of its eponymous would-be corpse. This guy has life figured out. Eat chocolate cake and ice cream and crack jokes with friends and family, don't let stuff bother you too much, and if you're not sure what to do, take a nap or watch TV. The movie may get carried away with some of the heavenly imagery and interludes with cutouts and at other times not seem to be going much of anywhere, but it's worth sticking around for that wisdom from the demented dead man.
As made by his daughter, Kirsten Johnson, "Dick Johnson is Dead" is an amusing picture for a documentary about an old widower with worsening dementia moving into a one-bedroom New York apartment with his daughter who films different ways of killing him. The expounding on dying--you know, that everybody's doing it--isn't very profound. The brief overview of the Johnson family's Seventh-day Adventism even less so. The loss of memory is a bit more interesting as it relates to documentary filmmaking, and Kirsten's late mother and Dick's late wife's photography. At one point, Kirsten laments that the only film she made of her mother was when she was well into being affected by Alzheimer's Disease. Although it has been far from always the case, there is a general sense that photographs and motion pictures may outlive the people in them and the memories thereof. Appropriately, then, the documentary is made in the reflexive mode, exposing the filmmaking process, including the staging of Dick's death scenes, and including the filmmaker as a heard and seen presence in the picture.
Apt as much of that is, what really sells "Dick Johnson is Dead" is the charm of its eponymous would-be corpse. This guy has life figured out. Eat chocolate cake and ice cream and crack jokes with friends and family, don't let stuff bother you too much, and if you're not sure what to do, take a nap or watch TV. The movie may get carried away with some of the heavenly imagery and interludes with cutouts and at other times not seem to be going much of anywhere, but it's worth sticking around for that wisdom from the demented dead man.
Just Awesome!
brennasanders11 October 2020
Dick Johnson is Dead
marmar-697804 October 2020
Dick Johnson is Dead was a good documentry in which one we are watching a family and a daughter preparing its father for his death but in a very fun and enterteining way that had both sweet and sad moments in it and in end i must say that i liked this project.The said story was very nicely written and directed and even if im not a big fan of this kind of movies,i must admit that i really liked this one and what was happening on screen,ending of a movie was also very nicely done and it showed us how actually feels to lose someone that we love and how painful that can be.Dick Johnson is dead was a good documentry
Truly special
doomedmac15 January 2021
A unique examination of life and death that is juggling too many elements
eddie_baggins22 February 2021
Death and coming too terms with ones mortality has been explored numerous times across various cinematic mediums and genres but the subject has never really been tackled like it is here in the very personal and heartfelt Dick Johnson is Dead.
One of 2020's most highly praised documentaries that has been distributed through Netflix, Johnson is a mix of humorous insight, deep and meaningful ponderings and intimate family explorations of director Kirsten Johnson's life as a daughter dealing with her elderly father Dick's increasingly fragile mental and physical state as the two agree to film various scenarios and real life escapades that delve into Dick's life and also his impending passing.
It's a well meaning affair, with both Johnson's making for likeable and open centerpiece to the film but its hard to fully invest in this feature as its focus consistently wavers between events, with it often struggling too juggle its tones and events that don't always gel into the cohesive whole that would've made this documentary an unforgettable experience.
Not at all seeking to explore Dick or Kirsten's life in any great depth, Johnson flips between humorous imaginations of Dick's death that are Chaplin like in the conception, conversations with Dick about his life and learnings and also scenarios that are proposed to mentally prepare Kirsten and Dick for what is to come but none of these elements are given proper time to breathe with a scattershot approach to Johnson's narrative drive never allowing us the proper time and experience that some of the best documentaries manage to do.
Everything here comes from a place of true and honest intent and some of the surreal scenarios that Kirsten conjures up (hello slow-mo foot wash) make for a unique viewing experience but you can't help but feel as though more time getting too know who these people are and exactly what we are exploring about Dick's condition could've benefited greatly for a film that is always watchable but not always entirely engaging or as impactful as it could've been.
Final Say -
Raising some intriguing questions about facing death and the importance of acceptance of ones circumstances, Dick Johnson is Dead is a unique documentary and sometimes an insightful one but its messy approach to its material and scattered concepts hold it back from being a deeply emotional or mandatory viewing experience.
3 Young Frankenstein screenings out of 5
One of 2020's most highly praised documentaries that has been distributed through Netflix, Johnson is a mix of humorous insight, deep and meaningful ponderings and intimate family explorations of director Kirsten Johnson's life as a daughter dealing with her elderly father Dick's increasingly fragile mental and physical state as the two agree to film various scenarios and real life escapades that delve into Dick's life and also his impending passing.
It's a well meaning affair, with both Johnson's making for likeable and open centerpiece to the film but its hard to fully invest in this feature as its focus consistently wavers between events, with it often struggling too juggle its tones and events that don't always gel into the cohesive whole that would've made this documentary an unforgettable experience.
Not at all seeking to explore Dick or Kirsten's life in any great depth, Johnson flips between humorous imaginations of Dick's death that are Chaplin like in the conception, conversations with Dick about his life and learnings and also scenarios that are proposed to mentally prepare Kirsten and Dick for what is to come but none of these elements are given proper time to breathe with a scattershot approach to Johnson's narrative drive never allowing us the proper time and experience that some of the best documentaries manage to do.
Everything here comes from a place of true and honest intent and some of the surreal scenarios that Kirsten conjures up (hello slow-mo foot wash) make for a unique viewing experience but you can't help but feel as though more time getting too know who these people are and exactly what we are exploring about Dick's condition could've benefited greatly for a film that is always watchable but not always entirely engaging or as impactful as it could've been.
Final Say -
Raising some intriguing questions about facing death and the importance of acceptance of ones circumstances, Dick Johnson is Dead is a unique documentary and sometimes an insightful one but its messy approach to its material and scattered concepts hold it back from being a deeply emotional or mandatory viewing experience.
3 Young Frankenstein screenings out of 5
Underwhelming
asc8518 October 2020
Dick Johnson seems like a very nice guy, and it was very nice of him to do this with his daughter. Kirsten Johnson seems like a very nice woman, and this film is like a valentine to her Dad. But now we come to the film itself, which I wanted to see because the overwhelming majority of professional critics loved it. And honestly, I have no idea why. While the film had its moments, much of it was pretty boring, especially the slow-motion fantasy sequences with glitter in the air.
This film kind of reminded me of Sarah Polley's, "Stories We Tell," which was another personal story about something that happened to her family. Good people, but unless you knew the family, I didn't think it was very interesting. Most film critics inexplicably loved that one too.
This film kind of reminded me of Sarah Polley's, "Stories We Tell," which was another personal story about something that happened to her family. Good people, but unless you knew the family, I didn't think it was very interesting. Most film critics inexplicably loved that one too.
Thank you Kristen
tmelt5 October 2020
Having lost both of my Aunts to Alzheimer's and my Mother in just a few years, I wished that I had captured their last years better. To be able to let them pass gradually with no regrets. Rather than wishing you had more time. Would have been wonderful.
Love above death
Bullseye09012 October 2020
Kind of Boring
li090442613 April 2021
Betwen Parent and Child and Death
jadepietro15 January 2021
IN BRIEF: Unique and insightful, this documentary becomes a loving tribute to a father and daughter coping with aging and death.
JIM'S REVIEW: (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) The flip side of tragedy is comedy and this documentary takes a wry look at America's fascination with death and our inability to grieve. Filmmaker Kirsten Johnson (and her living father) create a macabre documentary that is a coping mechanism for just that. Once a successful psychiatrist and happily married man, Dick Johnson is in his waning years. Now forced to move in with his filmmaking daughter and her family, he accepts these unforeseen changes with grace and dignity and decides to team with her to envision his own life, death, and numerous resurrections.
Ms. Johnson tries to deal with her father's aging issues, including memory loss, and uses her filmmaking skills as a means to cope with this depressing subject and honor her father. Both use their sardonic views about his future demise and decide to stage various scenes of his exit to the afterlife in gory details. Their collaborations provide a droll sense of humor as these grisly filmed events reveal more about their loving relationship and the onslaught of his increasing dementia than further possibilities of his future demise. Their absurd executions and glittery ascents into the afterlife become delightful interludes from the real world.
The filmmaking is, at times, crude and raw, but Ms. Johnson adroitly blends wonderful surreal visions into her fantasy world that make one quickly discern the true depth of her creative madness. It is uniquely her own perspective that sets this documentary apart from all others. In between her many staged death scenes, we glimpse the crux of her story, honoring a beloved man who once was and can never be. Aging may have changed his purpose in life, but his love of daughter and family remains steadfast and guides him and his filmmaking child through these bleak times.
With an abundance of wit and social irony, Dick Johnson is Dead becomes a celebratory tale with equal portions of love and death. Its unique viewpoint is a cinematic rarity, a fascinating glimpse into the human spirit and bond between parent and child. It's a lovely testament for us all. (GRADE: B+)
JIM'S REVIEW: (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) The flip side of tragedy is comedy and this documentary takes a wry look at America's fascination with death and our inability to grieve. Filmmaker Kirsten Johnson (and her living father) create a macabre documentary that is a coping mechanism for just that. Once a successful psychiatrist and happily married man, Dick Johnson is in his waning years. Now forced to move in with his filmmaking daughter and her family, he accepts these unforeseen changes with grace and dignity and decides to team with her to envision his own life, death, and numerous resurrections.
Ms. Johnson tries to deal with her father's aging issues, including memory loss, and uses her filmmaking skills as a means to cope with this depressing subject and honor her father. Both use their sardonic views about his future demise and decide to stage various scenes of his exit to the afterlife in gory details. Their collaborations provide a droll sense of humor as these grisly filmed events reveal more about their loving relationship and the onslaught of his increasing dementia than further possibilities of his future demise. Their absurd executions and glittery ascents into the afterlife become delightful interludes from the real world.
The filmmaking is, at times, crude and raw, but Ms. Johnson adroitly blends wonderful surreal visions into her fantasy world that make one quickly discern the true depth of her creative madness. It is uniquely her own perspective that sets this documentary apart from all others. In between her many staged death scenes, we glimpse the crux of her story, honoring a beloved man who once was and can never be. Aging may have changed his purpose in life, but his love of daughter and family remains steadfast and guides him and his filmmaking child through these bleak times.
With an abundance of wit and social irony, Dick Johnson is Dead becomes a celebratory tale with equal portions of love and death. Its unique viewpoint is a cinematic rarity, a fascinating glimpse into the human spirit and bond between parent and child. It's a lovely testament for us all. (GRADE: B+)
Time to go
kosmasp23 May 2022
Do you mind the macabre? There was an episode of Life in Pieces that showed what would happen during the funeral of one of the main characters. It was bizarre to say the least. It is even more bizarre seeing this being subject of a whole documentary.
Suspending your disbelief is one thing. Being able to follow with what the filmmaker (and daughter) set out to do a completely different story alltogether.
Visually stunning this has them film a few scenes where we see how the father, who slowly is losing his mind - well no pun intended, it is dementia - might die.
Very weird, very strange, but well orchestrated. Even some stunt man are being hired. But sometimes he has to be in the center of it. And he seems quite confused about one scene where he has a fake blood bag on him that is supposed to squirt blood because he was hit ... all stunts. But he seems to believe they have his blood or will need it.
This adds to his character and that of the movie I reckon, but again you have to be down with stuff like that. And even the ending ... the end? ... is something that is either very emotional or just plain strange.
It surely is not for everyone - especially considering how it is all handled. But as already mentioned there are some very great visual treats here. One where he is floating, one with Jesus (an actor of course) and some others thrown in for good measure.
Suspending your disbelief is one thing. Being able to follow with what the filmmaker (and daughter) set out to do a completely different story alltogether.
Visually stunning this has them film a few scenes where we see how the father, who slowly is losing his mind - well no pun intended, it is dementia - might die.
Very weird, very strange, but well orchestrated. Even some stunt man are being hired. But sometimes he has to be in the center of it. And he seems quite confused about one scene where he has a fake blood bag on him that is supposed to squirt blood because he was hit ... all stunts. But he seems to believe they have his blood or will need it.
This adds to his character and that of the movie I reckon, but again you have to be down with stuff like that. And even the ending ... the end? ... is something that is either very emotional or just plain strange.
It surely is not for everyone - especially considering how it is all handled. But as already mentioned there are some very great visual treats here. One where he is floating, one with Jesus (an actor of course) and some others thrown in for good measure.
Loved This Doco!
chrispule28 January 2021
Extra Sentimental Becoz of my Dads passing!
A sad but must see on how Dementia or Alzheimers can have a massive burden on the family. I've seen this with Grandparents and really is one of toughest watches to see your Nana completely lose memory.
It begins with Dick's journey at the very early stages! Daughter Kirsten balances Directing & Daughter duties for it for it to be informative plus add the comedic side which really lightens up the subject topic.
The final scene was super tense and his best friend's eulogy then playing the flute had me a type of a way lol.
Overall Thank you Dick & Kath for inviting us on this Journey. God Bless
A sad but must see on how Dementia or Alzheimers can have a massive burden on the family. I've seen this with Grandparents and really is one of toughest watches to see your Nana completely lose memory.
It begins with Dick's journey at the very early stages! Daughter Kirsten balances Directing & Daughter duties for it for it to be informative plus add the comedic side which really lightens up the subject topic.
The final scene was super tense and his best friend's eulogy then playing the flute had me a type of a way lol.
Overall Thank you Dick & Kath for inviting us on this Journey. God Bless
A Dad's Undying Love
ThurstonHunger9 March 2024
More filmed memoir than documentary perhaps? And certainly not for everyone. If you are a person who can laugh at death (or like me try to fake it), then this film likely will work for you.
It's hard not to be charmed by the title character and fading father of the filmmaker. The film may be most famous for hits spectral speculations, both stunt-flirting with death as well as opulent shots of an imagined afterworld. There is also an odd sort of road trip retreating back to an old Adventist flame of Dick's. That felt a little out of place to me but I guess helped to flesh out the film length, and maybe was a nice sort of reward for the filmmaker's father. We also get a sort of drive-by on Kirsten's next-door family.
Was recommended, with some caution, by a person on a basketball blog/chat space. And I do think caution is advised. Flowers for Algernon vibes - dementia sure seems like a rough coda to any life.
For me the film had three phases - the staged deaths reminded me of how "Six Feet Under" would anecdotally start. (Add in the psychiatrist parent aspect in both ?!?) Those "skits" keep coming through-out but the film moves into a more pensive phase - remembering the wife/mother who I think appeared in Cameraperson, or some other film and who tragically foreshadows some of the loss of personal freedom and flat-out person-hood closing in on Dick.
Ultimately the redeeming phase underscores Dick's undying love for his daughter (and his wife and his friends and even patients) truly makes the movie. I think of raucous comics, out-there musicians, performance artists, game show contestants and other demonstrative beings, and wonder if many also had such doting audiences from day one?
I understand some of the questioning of the filmmaker's motives, but to Kirsten's credit she did have her Father not just move near her, but move in with her. So even if/when the film feels manipulative, there were undoubtedly many unrecorded moments, joyful and onerous.b
My guess is her Dad happily traded all of those for the same time in a "care facility."
It's hard not to be charmed by the title character and fading father of the filmmaker. The film may be most famous for hits spectral speculations, both stunt-flirting with death as well as opulent shots of an imagined afterworld. There is also an odd sort of road trip retreating back to an old Adventist flame of Dick's. That felt a little out of place to me but I guess helped to flesh out the film length, and maybe was a nice sort of reward for the filmmaker's father. We also get a sort of drive-by on Kirsten's next-door family.
Was recommended, with some caution, by a person on a basketball blog/chat space. And I do think caution is advised. Flowers for Algernon vibes - dementia sure seems like a rough coda to any life.
For me the film had three phases - the staged deaths reminded me of how "Six Feet Under" would anecdotally start. (Add in the psychiatrist parent aspect in both ?!?) Those "skits" keep coming through-out but the film moves into a more pensive phase - remembering the wife/mother who I think appeared in Cameraperson, or some other film and who tragically foreshadows some of the loss of personal freedom and flat-out person-hood closing in on Dick.
Ultimately the redeeming phase underscores Dick's undying love for his daughter (and his wife and his friends and even patients) truly makes the movie. I think of raucous comics, out-there musicians, performance artists, game show contestants and other demonstrative beings, and wonder if many also had such doting audiences from day one?
I understand some of the questioning of the filmmaker's motives, but to Kirsten's credit she did have her Father not just move near her, but move in with her. So even if/when the film feels manipulative, there were undoubtedly many unrecorded moments, joyful and onerous.b
My guess is her Dad happily traded all of those for the same time in a "care facility."
Favorite film of the year
abondgirl15 July 2021
I was blown away by this movie. I am so happy that I saw it in a listing of Emmy Nominees. I may have missed this otherwise. This was a pure gem. I just watched this, and I am still crying. It was beautiful, heartfelt, funny and real. I fell in love with Dick Johnson. He reminded me a little of my dad - self effacing, funny, kind, considerate and loving. My dad passed away in 1998 at the age of 69 from a heart attack due to Type 1 Diabetes. I am not sure if I am crying partly for the loss of my wonderful dad or the thought of this wonderful man passing away. I love you, Dick Johnson, and I love this gem of a movie. <3 <3 <3. Your daughter Kirsten is pretty special also.
Average...
Thanos_Alfie27 January 2022
"Dick Johnson Is Dead" is a Documentary in which we watch a daughter preparing her father for his death. She tries to help him through some different actions because he starts having signs of dementia.
I did not have high expectations from this documentary because I was not sure what I was exactly about to watch. The direction which was made by Kirsten Johnson was good and she presented very well the portrait of her father, his history and love was present through the whole duration of the film. She also presented very well her family and the importance of her father and at the same time the difficulties that has to overcome. Dick Johnson followed her guidance through the whole duration of the documentary and seemed to enjoy every moment of it. Lastly, I have to say that "Dick Johnson Is Dead" is a different documentary but unique for this family.
I did not have high expectations from this documentary because I was not sure what I was exactly about to watch. The direction which was made by Kirsten Johnson was good and she presented very well the portrait of her father, his history and love was present through the whole duration of the film. She also presented very well her family and the importance of her father and at the same time the difficulties that has to overcome. Dick Johnson followed her guidance through the whole duration of the documentary and seemed to enjoy every moment of it. Lastly, I have to say that "Dick Johnson Is Dead" is a different documentary but unique for this family.
Very self centered film
lankyalun15 February 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I felt the daughter exploited her sweet father in his most vulnerable moments. She makes it all about her and claims this is all so she can feel better about his death. Imagine shoving a camera into your fathers face while he's going through Alzheimer's.
I give it 4* because Dick Johnson was such a nice human.
this documentary is, well, the life of the party
lee_eisenberg1 June 2022
Kirsten Johnson got her start in film by helping make documentaries; her footage appears in Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" and Laura Poitras's Academy Award-winning "Citizenfour" (about Edward Snowden). Johnson eventually started making documentaries on her own, including "Dick Johnson Is Dead". It focuses on her dementia-afflicted dad, musing on the many ways in which he could die. Despite the grim-sounding subject matter, the documentary manages to be funny. Basically, it reminds us of the one thing that's guaranteed to happen to each of us, so we have to live our lives while we can. It's a documentary that everyone should see.
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